Thursday, May 29, 2014

It was a long day's drive through Southern Indians, across Kentucky, through heavy downpours and rolling hills in West Virginia and more rain across northern Virginia. Luckily Marie's cousin Ronde had some good soup waiting when we arrived at 9:30. The only photos I took the time to take were from a gas stop and one scenic overlook in West Virginia.

We started our two day walk til you drop tour of Washington at the Kennedy Center parking garage. I then asked an attendant how to get to the Lincoln Memorial. He pointed to the other side of the two lane expressway and said "Run like Hell!" That we did. We found out that getting to and from the Kennedy Center as a pedestrian is not an easy thing.

From the second inaugural address: "Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God..."

Vietnam War Memorial

James A. Tueller--a second cousin of Marie's dad.

Family selfie

Korean War Memorial

Martin Luther King Memorial

World War II Memorial. Lot's of elderly veterans visiting.

Even the drainage grates are impressive.

The newly re-opened (from earthquake repairs) Washington Monument now requires timed tickets. They were already distributed for the day so it looked like we wouldn't get to go up. Then a man overheard my inquiry about tickets and offered us his four leftovers. Then as we were waiting in line for our time slot, a French family offered us one more. Sweet.

Inside the top of the monument

Ford's Theater

Museum of Natural History. The Hope Diamond

The whole city was swarming with school kids on tour.

Museum of American History. Vietnam War exhibit. This is how I watched the war as a young boy.

With very tired legs we enjoyed a late and very delicious Arab dinner at the Lebanese Taverna

Day two was rainy. Iwo Jima memorial

Jefferson Memorial

George Mason (Bill of Rights writer and promoter) memorial

Library of Congress (Sarah's favorite)

Thomas Jefferson's Library exhibit

The rotunda with its many cracks being repaired.

The speckled line in the base of Regan's statue is made up of cement pieces from the Berlin Wall.